Jeremiah 4 29

Jeremiah 4:29 kjv

The whole city shall flee for the noise of the horsemen and bowmen; they shall go into thickets, and climb up upon the rocks: every city shall be forsaken, and not a man dwell therein.

Jeremiah 4:29 nkjv

The whole city shall flee from the noise of the horsemen and bowmen. They shall go into thickets and climb up on the rocks. Every city shall be forsaken, And not a man shall dwell in it.

Jeremiah 4:29 niv

At the sound of horsemen and archers every town takes to flight. Some go into the thickets; some climb up among the rocks. All the towns are deserted; no one lives in them.

Jeremiah 4:29 esv

At the noise of horseman and archer every city takes to flight; they enter thickets; they climb among rocks; all the cities are forsaken, and no man dwells in them.

Jeremiah 4:29 nlt

At the noise of charioteers and archers,
the people flee in terror.
They hide in the bushes
and run for the mountains.
All the towns have been abandoned ?
not a person remains!

Jeremiah 4 verses

Jeremiah 4 29 Meaning

Jeremiah 4:29 describes the overwhelming panic and flight of the inhabitants of Judah's cities in the face of an advancing enemy. The sheer terror caused by merely the sound of the enemy’s formidable horsemen and archers leads every city to be deserted. The people attempt to find refuge in the wilderness—thickets and rocky outcrops—leaving their urban centers utterly forsaken and without inhabitant. This depicts a scene of total societal collapse and desolation as a direct consequence of divine judgment.

Jeremiah 4 29 Context

Jeremiah chapter 4, often called a "Lament over the Destruction of Judah and Jerusalem," is a powerful prophetic sermon foretelling the imminent invasion and desolation of the land. It stands as a vivid depiction of God's judgment against Judah for their deep-seated idolatry and covenant unfaithfulness. The "foe from the north," historically understood as the Neo-Babylonian Empire under Nebuchadnezzar, is God's instrument for this judgment. The verses leading up to Jeremiah 4:29 paint a picture of relentless military advance, causing alarm and distress (vv. 5-21). Jeremiah vividly expresses his personal agony over the impending destruction, embodying the pain of the nation (vv. 19-21). Verse 29 specifically describes the catastrophic human reaction to this invasion, showing how people abandon the very strongholds that should protect them. The subsequent verses (vv. 30-31) pivot to Jerusalem's futile efforts to beautify herself, still seeking foreign alliances, ending with a final lament over her travail as a woman in childbirth, abandoned and consumed by pain. The historical context is the late 7th century BCE, a time of significant geopolitical shifts where Judah found itself vulnerable, having persistently rejected prophetic calls for repentance despite prior divine warnings and temporary reform efforts under King Josiah.

Jeremiah 4 29 Word analysis

• Every city (`כָּל הָעִיר` - kol ha-'ir): The Hebrew phrase `כָּל` (kol) means "all" or "every," emphasizing totality. This indicates that the flight and desolation were not localized incidents but a universal phenomenon affecting the entire region of Judah, signifying a widespread and devastating judgment that spares no urban center.
• takes flight (`בֹּרַחַת` - borachat): Derived from the verb `בָּרַח` (barach), "to flee" or "to escape." The feminine singular form "takes flight" for "city" personifies the urban centers as active entities in panic, underscoring the urgency and desperation of the departure. It is not an orderly evacuation but a frantic flight for survival.
• at the sound of (`מִקּוֹל` - miq-qol): `מִן` (min) means "from" and `קוֹל` (qol) means "sound," "voice," or "noise." This is a crucial detail: the flight begins before the enemy is even seen. The mere audible presence—the hoofbeats and cries—is enough to induce utter terror, signifying the known, overwhelming might and brutality of the advancing army. The Babylonians were notorious for their swift and terrifying cavalry and archer units.
• horseman (`פָּרָשׁ` - parash): Refers to cavalry or horse riders. Ancient armies featuring strong cavalry units were swift and formidable, capable of rapidly covering ground and outmaneuvering infantry. Their approach generated a distinct, frightening sound—thundering hooves—symbolizing unstoppable force.
• and archer (`וָקֶשֶׁת` - vakeshet): `וָ` (vav) is "and," `קֶשֶׁת` (qeshet) means "bow" but here stands for the archer (a metonymy). Archers, especially mounted ones, provided a devastating long-range assault, causing panic before direct engagement. Together, horseman and archer represent the complete, swift, and overwhelming military machine of the enemy, highlighting their tactical prowess and the fear they instilled.
• they go (`בָּאוּ` - ba'u): Simple past tense of "to come" or "to go." Here it describes the action of the fleeing people, not the army.
• into the thickets (`בַּעֲבִים` - ba'avim): `עָב` (av) refers to thickets, dense bush, or forest. This describes desperate attempts to find natural hiding places, highlighting the collapse of societal order and the abandonment of human infrastructure in favor of vulnerable, temporary shelter.
• and climb among the rocks (`בַּסְּלָעִים` - bas-s'la'im): `סֶלַע` (sela') refers to a rock, cliff, or crag. Seeking refuge in rocky crevices or mountainous terrain was a common, yet often futile, strategy against invading armies. It speaks to the extreme measures taken for perceived safety.
• Every city (`כָּל־עִיר` - kol-`ir`): Repetition of the initial phrase, but this time modified, creating an emphatic reassertion of totality. It stresses that no single city remains.
• is forsaken (`נֶעֱזָבָה` - ne'ezavah): From the verb `עָזַב` (`azav`), "to abandon" or "to forsake." The Nifal stem (passive voice) emphasizes the state of being utterly left behind and empty, highlighting the desolation as a done act, not just an ongoing process.
• and no one lives in them (`אֵין יֹשֵׁב` - ein yoshev*): `אֵין` (ein) means "there is no," and `יוֹשֵׁב` (yoshev) means "dweller" or "inhabitant" (from `יָשַׁב` - yashav, "to dwell"). This final clause confirms the absolute, comprehensive depopulation of the cities, not just temporary flight, but complete emptiness.

• "Every city takes flight at the sound of horseman and archer": This phrase captures the immediate, overwhelming panic caused by the approaching enemy. The power of sound alone, rather than sight, is sufficient to trigger widespread, universal terror across all urban centers. It emphasizes the fear generated by the reputation and methods of the foe.
• "they go into the thickets and climb among the rocks": This highlights the futility of their desperate attempts to find refuge. People abandon their strong, fortified cities (which fail to offer protection) and scatter into vulnerable, natural hiding places, demonstrating complete societal disarray. This illustrates a return to primitive means of survival when structured society breaks down under siege.
• "Every city is forsaken, and no one lives in them": This describes the complete and utter desolation that results from the panic-stricken flight. It confirms that the evacuation is not temporary; the cities are left utterly empty and devoid of human life, signifying the fulfillment of God's judgment leading to widespread destruction and depopulation.

Jeremiah 4 29 Bonus section

The description of fleeing into thickets and among rocks might also carry an implicit critique against reliance on natural or physical hiding places, rather than seeking spiritual refuge in God (as highlighted in Ps 91:1-2). The very "cities" that were built for security prove to be traps of destruction when divine judgment falls. Furthermore, the detailed military imagery of "horseman and archer" suggests that the prophet Jeremiah was intimately familiar with the formidable fighting tactics of the contemporary great powers, especially the fast-moving and arrow-wielding Babylonian forces, enhancing the realism and terrifying nature of his prophecy for the original audience. This verse acts as a dramatic reversal of the ancient Near Eastern understanding of fortified cities as places of ultimate security, turning them into centers of vulnerability and eventual desolation.

Jeremiah 4 29 Commentary

Jeremiah 4:29 graphically illustrates the horrifying effectiveness of God's judgment executed through the "foe from the north." It describes a scenario where urban centers, traditionally symbols of safety and stability, become sources of terror and are quickly abandoned. The enemy's power is so overwhelming that mere auditory cues—the noise of their approaching cavalry and archers—suffice to induce total panic and immediate, universal flight. The inhabitants scatter desperately into the rugged, natural landscape, attempting to hide in thickets and among rocks. However, these places of presumed refuge are temporary and ultimately futile against divine wrath. The chilling consequence is the complete desolation of the land: cities are not merely evacuated but are utterly "forsaken," left without a single inhabitant. This verse underscores the pervasive fear, the disruption of normal life, and the complete destruction of the social fabric caused by Judah’s unfaithfulness. It stands as a stark warning about the inevitability and thoroughness of divine discipline when God's people persist in rebellion.